Why Artesian Resources (ARTNA) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now

All investors love getting big returns from their portfolio, whether it's through stocks, bonds, ETFs, or other types of securities. However, when you're an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments.

While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company's earnings paid out to shareholders; it's often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies show that dividends account for significant portions of long-term returns, with dividend contributions exceeding one-third of total returns in many cases.

Artesian Resources in Focus

Based in Newark, Artesian Resources (ARTNA) is in the Utilities sector, and so far this year, shares have seen a price change of -6.07%. Currently paying a dividend of $0.25 per share, the company has a dividend yield of 2.86%. In comparison, the Utility - Water Supply industry's yield is 2.2%, while the S&P 500's yield is 1.97%.

Looking at dividend growth, the company's current annualized dividend of $1 is up 1.6% from last year. Artesian Resources has increased its dividend 5 times on a year-over-year basis over the last 5 years for an average annual increase of 3%. Future dividend growth will depend on earnings growth as well as payout ratio, which is the proportion of a company's annual earnings per share that it pays out as a dividend. Right now, Artesian Resources's payout ratio is 60%, which means it paid out 60% of its trailing 12-month EPS as dividend.

Earnings growth looks solid for ARTNA for this fiscal year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2020 is $1.68 per share, representing a year-over-year earnings growth rate of 5%.

Bottom Line

From greatly improving stock investing profits and reducing overall portfolio risk to providing tax advantages, investors like dividends for a variety of different reasons. But, not every company offers a quarterly payout.

High-growth firms or tech start-ups, for example, rarely provide their shareholders a dividend, while larger, more established companies that have more secure profits are often seen as the best dividend options. Income investors must be conscious of the fact that high-yielding stocks tend to struggle during periods of rising interest rates. With that in mind, ARTNA is a compelling investment opportunity. Not only is it a strong dividend play, but the stock currently sits at a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold).

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